1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to food production and distribution. More specifically, it relates to growing and distributing food crops before harvesting.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Recent concerns in diet-related health problems have increased the interest in the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. According to Diane M. Barrett in Maximizing the Nutritional Value of Fruits & Vegetables, most food crops are subject to high respiration rates, resulting in moisture loss, quality and nutrient degradation, and potential microbial spoilage, once separated from their nutritional source.
Conventional cultivation systems lack mobility and accessibility. Accordingly, the crops must be harvested and refrigerated until delivered. This adds significant expense and reduces food quality—nutritional value and aesthetic appeal to the consumer. Accordingly, what is needed is a method for distributing food crops before harvesting. However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the field of this invention how the shortcomings of the prior art could be overcome.
All referenced publications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, Applicants in no way disclaim these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed herein.
In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.